Calling all nonprofit founders, development directors, board members, and anyone who has ever stared down a grant deadline at midnight wondering where the money is supposed to come from. WCOM has a new show for you.
Nonprofit Cheat Codes, hosted by author and nonprofit consultant Micheal Shaw, premieres Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 8 a.m. Eastern on 103.5 FM in Carrboro and streaming worldwide at wcomfm.org. After that, it airs live every Saturday morning at 8.
Grab your coffee. Bring a notepad. This one is built to be useful.
Do you know where your funders are?
That’s the question driving the premiere, and honestly, it’s the question keeping a lot of small nonprofits up at night. Nonprofit Cheat Codes is a weekly hour of practical fundraising, storytelling, branding, and leadership talk for the grassroots organizations doing the heavy lifting in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and beyond.
No jargon parade. No hour-long sales pitch for a webinar. Just candid conversation and real ideas you can take back to your board meeting on Monday.
How the hour works
Every episode runs in three parts:
- The Cheat Code (15 minutes): one focused, practical lesson you can actually use.
- The Guest (30 minutes): a conversation with a local nonprofit leader or funder about what’s working, what isn’t, and why.
- Open Line (15 minutes): listener calls, plus a resource of the week.
The first five episodes each tackle one of the show’s five codes: Brand, Story, Fund, Build, and Grow. Think of it as a five-week crash course you can listen to in your pajamas.
Meet your host, Micheal Shaw
Micheal Shaw has spent his career on both sides of the ask. He’s a former Chief Advancement Officer, a nonprofit consultant, a speaker, and the author of The Invisible Currency of Philanthropy: Why People Give, Why They Stop, and What Advancement Leaders Must Understand Next. The book lays out five “invisible currencies” that shape why donors give and why they stay: Belonging, Trust, Meaning, Emotional Return, and Transformation.
His work is personal, too. Micheal co-founded the Team Jenny Bean Childhood Cancer Foundation with his daughter Jenny after her childhood cancer diagnosis, turning a family’s hardest chapter into support for other families. That story has taken him to NBC’s TODAY and Inside Edition.
Nonprofit Cheat Codes is also a relaunch. The show originally ran live on Saturday mornings for three years on The Club House, serving BIPOC-led and small nonprofits with hundreds of weekly listeners. Now it has a new home on your community airwaves.
Why this show belongs on community radio
WCOM is volunteer-powered and listener-supported, which means we know a thing or two about stretching a budget and leaning on community. A show that helps local nonprofits find funders, tell better stories, and build lasting relationships? That’s about as on-brand for community radio as it gets.
If Micheal’s show inspires you to support the mission that keeps it on the air, you can donate to WCOM any time. And if you’d rather give your time, WCOM is always looking for volunteers on our Programming, Operations, and Communications committees. You don’t have to be a DJ to help.
How to listen
- Live: Saturdays at 8 a.m. Eastern on 103.5 FM
- Stream: wcomfm.org
- Rebroadcast anytime: nonprofitcheatscodes.com
- Instagram: @nonprofitcheatcodes
- App: the Nonprofit Cheat Codes app is coming soon
Set a reminder for November 21, and forward this to the friend who’s running a nonprofit out of their dining room. They’ll thank you.
Have a story or guest idea?
Micheal is lining up guests now. To pitch yourself or someone you admire, send a short bio, the nonprofit challenge or insight you’d like to talk about, and one useful takeaway for listeners to info@michealshaw.com. (Guest spots are arranged separately from sponsorship.)
